Sing the Body Electric
by Jack E. Peace
Summary: "So, you don't like movies and you've never played mini-golf…are you a robot?" Jesse and Beca's first date. And the one that comes after.
1. Sing the Body Electric

**Disclaimer: **None of the characters belong to me. While I was writing this, I was listening to the Lana del Rey song "Body Electric" so credit for the title goes to her. But since she took the line from a Walt Whitman poem, credit goes to him too.

**"Sing the Body Electric" **

Beca agrees to let Jesse plan their first date so she already knows they'll be going to the movies. She doesn't mind as much as she might lead him to believe, mainly because she's starting to turn into a little movie buff and if it's because of him he doesn't have to know that. She never cared for movies before, mainly because she doesn't dig the way that movies present life: like everything can be tied up nice and neat in ninety minutes and that all life's problems will end with a happily ever after. She doesn't dig that. But now that she's been hanging around Jesse and making friends that actually seem like in-it-for-the-long-haul buddies, she's not opposed to a happy ending every now and then.

Besides, Beca doesn't want Jesse to get the wrong idea or anything. It's just a first date, after all, not a promise for eternal love or something like that. Going to dinner and a movie is casual, a sort of ambiguous evening. Though she already knows they have great chemistry and he's a great kisser so…maybe it's not your usual first date. But Beca still plans on going for causal. And if she spends nearly an hour picking out her outfit and getting ready, well, no one has to know that but her bedroom mirror.

Jesse shows up at her dorm room right on time and gives her a big smile that she's so far only seen when he gets started talking about movies and is trying to rein himself in. Beca refuses to believe that this is adorable, even though it kind of is because she's not against the idea of a guy being excited to go out on a date with her. Yeah, she's had boyfriends before but nothing serious and they've mostly been guys who wore more makeup than she did and who made a career out of being so apathetic that talking to them made her want to bash her head against the wall. And she feels like that's saying something coming from her because she can have her moments.

"So what do you have planned for the evening festivities?" Beca questions, a slightly teasing tone to her voice.

Jesse gives her a slightly guilty look. "Well…I know it might not be your first choice but I was thinking…mini golf." Beca looks at him, eyes widening slightly in surprise. "What? You thought I would take Miss I-Hate-Everything-Good-and-Wonderful-in-the-World-Especially-Movies to the movies?" Beca rolls her eyes at his long-windedness. "I'll save that for the next date."

Beca smirks. "What makes you think they'll be a second date?"

"Still playing hard to get I see." Jesse remarks, shaking his head. "Though, I guess that is a fair question because after I beat you so badly at mini-golf that you'll go home crying, you might not be up for a second date."

"So we're really going mini-golfing?" Beca questions, trying to decide if that's ridiculous or adorable. Like most things about Jesse, it's probably both. "I've never been."

Jesse gives her a shocked look. "What?! You don't like movies and you've never played mini-golf…are you a robot?"

"You caught me. I'm actually an emotionally stunted cyborg." Beca informs him, her face expressionless.

Jesse slings his arm around her shoulder. "Well lucky for you I know how to reach your robot heart."

Beca arches an eyebrow. "Why does that sound like the plot of one of your movies?" She questions. She's trying not to pay too much attention to Jesse's arm around her or the brief jolt of electricity that seemed to run through her when he touched her. Because she's not the type of girl that gets butterflies over the opposite sex. She's not.

"You'd already know the answer to that if you were a normal human and watched movies." Jesse points out.

They take the school-provided shuttle off campus to the mall which is close to Barden but definitely somewhere that Beca was never been because…well, it's the mall and she doesn't like to rub elbows with pre-teens and grumpy old women shopping at department stores. There's not even a record store in the whole place (she Googled the place once) so there's no reason for her to ever set foot inside the behemoth of American consumerism. Except for, apparently, now there is because there's a mini-golf place on one of the levels ("Seriously, _inside_ the mall?") and Jesse swears there's a great Italian restaurant nearby he wants to take her to after he dishes out his ass-whooping.

Beca tries not to roll her eyes (too dramatically) when they step inside the mini golf place and there's a bunch of kids running around and stressed out parents and high schoolers clearly enjoying a few awkward first dates of their own. But Jesse seems completely oblivious to the fact that they are the oldest people here by choice as he saunters up to the counter and pays for their tickets and gets the balls and clubs.

"There are a lot of kids here." Beca remarks when Jesse walks back over to her, handing her a golf-club like it's Excalibur or something.

"Yeah…it's mini-golf." Jesse points out. "If there weren't kids here, it would be real golf and it would be boring." He says this like it makes perfect sense. "Plus sometimes they hit each other with balls or get stuck trying to climb the little windmill and that's worth the price of admission."

Beca looks at him like she's trying to decide if he's being serious or not and she honestly can't tell. Jesse just rolls his eyes at her. "C'mon, loosen up a little. Have fun. You do know what fun is, right?"

Beca punches his shoulder. "Yes, I was programmed to know the meaning of the word fun." She snarks back. "Fine, let's go. But if I don't see a kid-on-kid brawl, I'm demanding a refund.

The fact that the golf course is inside contributes to the claustrophobic feeling that Beca gets when they leave the indoor area to enter the course itself. The fact that everything is small, including the vibrant green paths only makes her feel even more like a giant.

"Who puts a golf course inside a mall?" Beca questions as she follows Jesse to the first hole. She seriously underestimated how big this place is, because not only are their two floors of stores and a movie theatre but on this level there's also a carousel and a little motorized train that drives kids around. Not the mention that golf course itself is fifteen holes and she can't see the end from where she's standing.

Jesse shrugs. "I blame it on the whole college town thing."

"Then shouldn't the mall be full of bars?" Beca questions. "Isn't that more appropriate for a college town?"

Jesse snaps his fingers and mimes hitting himself in the forehead. "I knew I was forgetting something. Drunk mini-golf."

Beca smiles and nods, playing along. "Now that would have been the perfect date."

The presence of dozens of children is keeping Beca and Jesse from moving through the course with anything resembling speed, but that gives Jesse plenty of time between holes to start smack talking Beca and boasting about his apparently unbeatable swing. Beca has never really been a competitive person, she's always considered her personality way too laid back for that, which was why being part of the Bellas was such an adjustment. Especially when it came to Aubrey. But after standing here and listening to Jesse and his smack talk, Beca has decided that more than anything she really wants to beat him at mini-golf. She's just not entirely sure how one wins at a game that requires shooting neon colored balls through miniature Eiffel Towers but however it happens, she's going to win.

They're about halfway through the course when one of the kids falls into the tiny lake by the Everglades themed hole and the parents around go into over-drive like the little rug-rat is actually in danger of drowning or something. Beca snorts out a laugh as she watches the kid flail around in the ten inches of water and one of the mothers shoots her a look like she's laughing at a car accident or something.

Jesse steers her away from the scene, trying to hide his own smile, his hand on her hip. Once again Beca has to fight to ignore the sizzle of electricity that she feels when he puts his hands on her. Seriously, it's not like they're moving into racy territory or anything here. It's a completely innocent touch in the middle of a mini-golf course.

"I told you," Jesse remarks, bringing Beca back to the present, "having all the kids around just makes everything even better. There's usually crying and destruction of some kind."

"I think the same can be said about some of the parties I've been to." Beca remarks and Jesse laughs. In the time that she's been at Barden, she's seen enough drunk coed antics to blackmail the entire freshmen class with and several of the upperclassmen as well. Who knew that the aca-freaks would be such party people.

By the time they come to the last hole, Beca isn't sure exactly who's winning but she's pretty sure that she is. She doesn't really know much about golf aside from the fact that the goal is to get hit the ball into the hole and she's definitely got skill at shooting the ball through crocodile's mouths and windmills.

"Okay," Jesse says as they stand in front of the last hole, which features some sort of miniature replica of the mall they're currently standing in, complete with a zigzag of stores that they have to shoot the ball through, "this is all that's left between one of us and the mini-golf companionship." Beca rolls her eyes at his theatrics. "This is the hardest hole on the course. You have to hit it at exactly the right angle to send the ball through the maze and into the hole."

Beca snorts out a laugh. "Why do I get the feeling that you've done this before? Like too many times."

"I do have a life outside of watching amazing movies and performing in acapella championships." Jesse informs her as though this is a perfectly normal thing to say. "A guy's got to have hobbies."

Beca rolls her eyes at him but she's thinking _god why is he so adorable_? "You're such a dork." She tells him to avoid giving him a peak into her inner thoughts. She's not sure he's earned it quite yet.

Jesse winks at her and Beca feels electric again. Clearly, no touch is needed. It's a little frustrating. "Watch and learn." He spends several seconds setting up the shot, crouching down so he can study the ball and nodding thoughtfully to himself like he's a regular Tiger Woods. Beca laughs, shaking her head at him. Finally Jesse raises his club with dramatic flare and hits the ball, which connects with the edge of the maze and goes pinging backward into the recesses of the course.

Beca laughs with her whole body, throwing her head back and laughing until she feels tears in her eyes. If Jesse didn't think that she looked absolutely beautiful like this, he might be a little annoyed at her reaction. Though, even he has to admit that it's pretty funny.

"Oh yeah, you're a real professional." Beca says in between laughs as she tries to get herself under control. She wipes at her eyes, careful not to smudge her makeup.

Jesse sticks his tongue out at her. "Well, I'd like to see you do better."

Beca rubs her hands together before picking up her club and setting her ball down on the appropriate grove. She does a little hip shimmy, clearly mocking his earlier theatrics but Jesse can't bring himself to care when she presents such a pretty picture. He's seen her dance and he knows what it's like to kiss her, so he's no stranger to her sexiness. But there's something even more endearing about this Beca, the one who's let down some of her guards and has lost herself in the moment.

Beca finally hits the ball and while it goes into the maze, it gets stuck about halfway through and she can't bring herself to care enough to try and fish it out. She turns to Jesse and shrugs. "I think I win." She informs him.

Jesse gives her a look. "How do you figure that? You didn't make the shot either."

"No, but at least my ball is still on the course." Beca points out. "You don't even know where yours is." Jesse starts to protest but she cuts him off. "Just accept that you're a loser."

"Well, you only won because I let you." Jesse says with a pout.

"Oh whatever!" Beca gives him a playful shove. "You're just a sore loser."

They turn in their clubs and the attendant behind the counter gives them a dirty look when Jesse tells him that they lost the balls and they leave the mini-golf course before he can decide to send them back in to retrieve them.

Even though she has to admit that she's had a great time, Beca is glad to leave the mall behind. She's never been one for large crowds and mass money spending. "So where to next?" She questions, looking over at Jesse as they step out onto the sidewalk. "I think I was promised Italian food."

"And Italian food you shall have." Jesse promises, extending his elbow for her to loop her arm through. Beca rolls her eyes but she does it anyway and they walk down the sidewalk like that for a few feet before they both realize that it's a little bit awkward to try and walk like this and Jesse manages to transition into holding her hand, which he considers a pretty smooth move. He looks at Beca out of the corner of his eye in an attempt to gauge her reaction and though her face is unreadable, she doesn't pull away so he figures she's not going to threaten him for being all touchy feely.

There's a nice breeze ghosting through the air, carrying with it the smells of the city and the approaching summer. The cicadas have started their humming and it all reminds Beca of being a kid, when she used to play outside until one of her parents practically had to drag her in. Those were the days when life wasn't complicated and she always felt happy.

They walk a few blocks in a comfortable silence and Beca enjoys the warmth of Jesse's palm pressed against her own and the way that their hands seem to fit together. And yes, she realizes how that sounds. She's become one of those girls, who think about things like that. Ugh.

When they finally come to the restaurant that Jesse had in mind, he lets out a disappointed groan. "I forgot they were closed on Sundays." He shakes his head, looking genuinely disappointed. "I guess we'll have to save the life-changing lasagna for another time."

"There you go with that second date talk again." Beca remarks, raising an eyebrow. "You're awfully full of yourself.  
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure that I saw you having something that pretty closely resembled fun." Jesse points out.

Beca shrugs, going for nonchalant. "You're not wrong." She admits. "Though this lack of Italian food is definitely making me rethink my impression of this date."

Jesse tugs her back in the direction they had just come from, abandoning the dark restaurant for the time being. "Oh, I can still get you Italian." He promises. "But if it doesn't change your life, you can't blame me."

It turns out that Jesse's backup plan involves getting slices of pizza from a food cart on the corner and sharing a bottle of soda while they lazily walk back toward the mall and the shuttle stop.

"I don't think this is real Italian." Beca points out as she takes a huge bite of her equally huge slice. She doesn't think she's ever had a piece of pizza this big before, or admittedly this delicious. This is almost better than the restaurant, because there's less formalities and they both seem more at ease, as though the act of walking down the sidewalk eating dinner somehow makes it easier to be themselves.

"Oh, pizza was totally invited in Italy." Jesse assures her and Beca gives him a doubtful look. "Haven't you ever read _Eat, Pray, Love_? She totally eats pizza in Italy."

Beca laughs. "No, I haven't. But the fact that you have definitely answers a lot of questions that I had about you."

Jesse knocks her hip playfully with his own and Beca laughs as she stumbles, careful not to drop her pizza. "My mom went through a phase." He tells her defensively. "She thought we should have a mother-son book club. Thankfully she gave up on that idea before we made it to Nicholas Sparks."

Beca laughs around a bite of pizza, reaching out to take the soda from him. "She sounds fun." She says for lack of anything better to say. She's never really been the type that was good at making conversation about other people's families, mostly because she hated talking about her own so much. She was more adept at changing the subject than actually contributing.

Before she can work her subject changing magic, however, Jesse questions, "Your mom ever try and get you to do crazy bonding stuff?"

Beca wrinkles her nose and takes another bite of pizza, hoping that he'll get the hint without things turning awkward. Because she's been having fun and she doesn't want thoughts of her family to put her in a bad mood.

"We don't have to talk about it." Jesse says after a beat of silence. "It's not really my business." His tone betrays that he's expecting to be shut out and he's dreading the fact that her walls are going back up.

Maybe it's this fact or the fact that she really has had a great time tonight and Jesse is so unlike most of the people that she's known before that makes Beca say, "My dad cheated on my mom when I was fifteen. They tried to work things out but…he left anyway." She shrugs, trying to make little of this fact. "She sort of stopped doing any crazy bonding stuff after she found out he'd been having sex with his secretary."

Jesse looks at her and when he says "I'm sorry" it doesn't sound like the patented response that most people give in those sorts of situations, but he genuinely sounds like he means it and he understands how she feels. Beca knows that it's been several years since her perfect family came crumbling down but she still can't shake that bitterness that she feels toward her dad for messing everything up and the disappointment she feels toward her mom for imploding instead of taking care of her daughter. She knows that she's only hurting herself at this point and it's cost her a lot in the past. She's finally getting tired of letting her resentment dictate her life.

"When you asked me…if I knew why I pushed people away…" Beca looks down at her feet to avoid feeling Jesse's eyes on her. It makes it easier to talk somehow. "I lied. I do know why. Because the only people I've ever trusted have all let me down and disappointed me. I keep myself apart from people so I don't get hurt again." She shrugs, tearing her pizza crust in half absently. "It's not ground-breaking or…I know I sound like some stupid teen movie but," she shrugs, "that's why. I just don't trust people."

Jesse is silent for a minute and for some reason Beca really appreciates that. She appreciates the fact that he's not rushing to say any of the trite things that people would normally say in this situation or saying something he thinks that she'll want to hear.

"That sucks." Jesse says finally and Beca looks up at him. Whatever she was expecting to hear, it was somehow more understanding and profound than this. "I mean, it really does. Trusting people is hard. But you're an amazing person, even if you try not to let people see the real you. And I think that your life is going to be really lonely if you don't let people get to really know you. And I know, personally, my life would really suck if you weren't in it."

Beca feels that electric feeling of warmth spread through her body and she feels a smile tug up the corners of her mouth. But she tries not to let too much of this show on her face. "That was really cheesy." She tells him.

"It came from the heart." Jesse assures her. "Seriously, Beca. People might surprise you."

Beca surprises herself by pulling Jesse to her and kissing him, not caring that he tastes like sugar and pizza sauce. She just wants to kiss him again and again just to see if that electric feeling will ever disappear. She hopes that it won't.

"Well, that's a relief." Jesse says when the kiss is broken. Beca gives him a curious look. "I was sort of worried that the whole kissing thing was just some sort of side effect from giving a kick ass performance."

Beca smiles and shakes her head shyly. "Nope. No such luck." She kisses him again.

Jesse puts one arm around her waist and thrusts the other in the air, doing his best Judd Nelson impression. Beca catches this out of the corner of her eye and pulls away, laughing. "Did you just reenact the last scene of _The Breakfast Club_?"

Jesse grins. "You didn't expect me to pass an opportunity like that, did you?"

"Dork." Beca says, but her tone is endearing, suggesting that she wouldn't want him any other way.

Jesse holds her hand as they walk back toward the shuttle and their hips touch during the ride back to campus and Jesse keeps his hand on her knee, his finger tracing absent designs against the fabric of her jeans. So far, Beca can say with certainty that that feeling has yet to go away. She feels electrified.

When they get back to campus, Jesse walks her to her door but doesn't insinuate that he expects to come in or even that he wants to, even though they both know that he wouldn't be opposed to a little post-date make-out session. But Beca sort of likes the idea of keeping things sweet and chaste, at least for tonight and she likes that he's not going to push.

"So, how'd I do?" Jesse questions as Beca fishes her key out of her purse. "As far as first dates go."

Beca wrinkles her nose, considering her response. "Well, I've had worse so…"

Jesse shakes his head at her. "You had fun. Admit it. You had fun on our super cheesy date and you totally want to go on another one."

"Fine. I had fun." Beca says like it's killing her to admit it, even though it isn't. "Little bit." She holds up her fingers, measuring out the small amount of fun that she had on their date. Even though, in truth, it was the best date she's ever been on and she figures that one day she'll tell him this. Just not right away. A girl's gotta have her secrets.

Jesse leans in for another kiss and Beca smiles against his lips. The kiss is a little shorter than she would have liked but she figures they'll be plenty of time in the future for a little indulgence.

"So does this mean I get a second date?"

Beca hums, tapping her finger against her pursed lips, considering. "I suppose. But I get to plan it."

Jesse smiles. "Deal."


	2. All That Time, Never Truly Seeing

**A/N: **Thank you all so much for the reviews for the first part! I wasn't planning to make this anything more than a one shot, but I decided to give writing another chapter a try. Sorry it took so long to update, it took a while to figure out how to put down the thoughts in my head. I hope you enjoy this part as well! Just FYI, there are small, small spoilers for _Les Miserables_. I tried to keep any discussion about the movie vague, just in case. The title for this section comes from the song "I See the Light" from _Tangled_, which I may or may not have been watching while working on this (okay, I was.) I hope you all enjoy!

"**All That Time, Never Truly Seeing Things The Way They Were"**

When Jesse had agreed to let Beca plan their second (of hopefully many) dates, he'd assumed that he'd be in for a night of going to hole in the wall record shops and pretending to be too cool to care about anything. But she surprises him by informing him that she's taking him to the local movie theatre to see some new shoot-'em-up action movie, which are apparently the only types of movies Beca can sit through because there's little romantic subplot and lots of people being shot with bullets. Jesse finds this new information to be surprising, yet somehow not, considering the fact that he's quickly learning that he can't take anything about Beca for granted.

When they get to the movie theatre, the bored looking high school kid behind the Plexiglas informs them that the movie is sold out, sorry (even though Jesse doesn't think he looks very sorry).

Beca pouts, an expression of disappointment on her face as they step away from the ticket booth to discuss their options. "I really wanted to see that one. I heard it's like an hour and a half of pure bloodshed."

Jesse laughs, snapping his fingers in mock disappointment. "I can't believe we have to miss that. Though I heard there's a particularly shady area downtown where we could probably see an hour and a half of bloodshed."

Beca rolls her eyes at him but she's trying not to smile, so Jesse considers it a victory. "I left my gun at home so…"

"Yeah, I never go into a fight without a gun." Jesse nods. "Good thinking."

"Well, we're already here. There has to be something else you want to see, movie-boy." Beca gestures toward the line of posters on display beside where they're standing outside the theatre.

Jesse puts a hand over his heart. "You'd be willing to sit through a movie? For _moi_?"

Beca shrugs. "I might fall asleep. So, you know, if that's a risk you're willing to take."

"I'll only wake you up if you start to snore." Jesse solemnly swears.

Of course there are quite a few movies that Jesse has been wanting to see. Unfortunately, the showtimes aren't exactly matching up for most of them and Jesse fears that if they have to wait around for too long, then Beca will change her mind and he won't be able to get her within thirty feet of a movie theatre ever again.

Beca gives him a doubtful look when he points out the only movie starting within ten minutes. "_You_ want to see that one?" She questions, wrinkling her nose.

Jesse shrugs. "It's supposed to be really good. It's a famous story." He points out.

"Yeah but…isn't there…like…tons of singing?" Beca questions, looking at the poster as though she can learn all the film's secrets from the simplistic image.

"You're in an acapella group." Jesse points out. "Your life is kind of like a musical."

"That's different." Beca points out. "It's not…cheesy." She's never been a fan of musicals, in spite of her love of music, mostly because all the singing and synchronized dance numbers and happy endings set to swelling background music. It's never been her cup of tea.

Jesse mimics the unfortunately cheesy dance moves from the "Eternal Flame" part of the Bellas' old routine, shaping his hands into a heart and holding it over his chest with a plaintive look on his face. Beca swats at him, rolling her eyes. "Okay, fine. Fair point." She shrugs. "If that's what you want to see…" She gestures toward the ticket booth.

Jesse raises an eyebrow. "You're not going to, like, kill me halfway through it, are you?" He questions. "Or refuse to talk to me if I make you sit through it, right?"

"I'll try and refrain," Beca assures him, "but no promises."

Even though he agreed to let Beca plan the date, Jesse pays for their tickets, hoping that that'll be a point in the positive column if she does end up hating the movie. At least she won't be able to complain about the wasted money.

"So what is this movie even about?" Beca questions, eating a handful of the popcorn that Jesse buys at the concession stand. He also hands her a large soda and a box of candy to hold while he fishes out of his wallet. "Got enough food there?"

"You have to have snacks when you go to the movies." Jesse replies. "Don't you know anything." Beca sticks her tongue out at him. "And you really have no idea what _Les Miserables_ is about?"

Beca gives him a look. "Do I look like the type of person who knows anything about this movie?"

"It's like a classic story. The play is famous. So is the book for that matter." Jesse says as they walk down the hall toward the appropriate theatre. Beca gives him another, slightly more annoyed look and he quickly adds, "It's about the French Revolution. Sort of. Lots of people with shitty lives, lots of singing. I think that just about covers it."

"A history lesson set to music. Great." Beca remarks, following Jesse down one of the aisles to seats right in the middle. She glances around. "There's like no one here."

Jesse glances over his shoulder. Only two other seats are occupied by an older couple who seem to be waiting impatiently for the movie to begin. He shrugs. "It's been out for a few weeks."

Beca gives him a doubtful look. "I think you picked a dud Movie Boy." She remarks. "At least no one will care when I fall asleep."

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure about that." Jesse remarks, leaning in closer. "They look like a couple of fire crackers." He whispers, tipping his head in the direction of the couple behind them.

Beca casually glances over her shoulder and laughs, clearing her throat and turning back around when the man glares at her and holds a finger up to his lips. "I see what you mean."

While they wait for the previews to start, Beca munches on popcorn and lets her shoulder rest against Jesse's. She never really went out to the movies in high school, not even on dates, preferring to spend her weekend evenings at someone else's place, making out on the couch instead of in a darkened theatre. She wonders if Jesse's the type of guy to steal a few kisses in between scenes and feels that familiar thrill at the idea of kissing him. It's been two weeks since their first date and even though they haven't left campus, they've still found plenty of chances to see one another. Since Bellas rehearsal is over until fall, Beca has a suddenly wide-open schedule and she's fine with spending the majority of her time with Jesse. Even if they're studying or just lounging around working on their respective laptops, she can't complain. Of course, when they're touching and kissing…she has even less complaints.

The lights dim in the theatre and the trailers start and Beca glances at Jesse out of the corner of her eye. His attention is focused on the screen and she's pretty sure he's not even blinking. Clearly he's not the type of make out through an entire film. It's as cute as it is dorky, she has to admit. She knows from experience that Jesse is as passionate about all areas of his life as he is about the movies that he watches. It's nice to have someone around who's attentive to the things she says and understands her dreams and is supportive of them. A girl could get used to it.

Beca quickly regrets her decision to let herself get talked into sitting through a movie when fifteen minutes later the movie hasn't even started and she's sitting through yet another coming attraction preview. Why are there so many? And seriously, who lets Tom Cruise keep making movies?

Jesse reaches over and puts his hand on her knee, which Beca hadn't even realized that she's been anxiously jiggling up and down since the end of that ridiculous looking trailer about the fairy tale characters who fight witches. "Are you okay?" Jesse questions, leaning in to whisper to her even though it's not like there's anyone around who'll be disturbed by their talking. Though that elderly couple looks like they don't play around.

"Oh, yeah. I'm just bored." Beca informs him, figuring there's no need to sugarcoat it. He knew what he was getting himself into. Even if the whole movie thing _was_ her idea.

Jesse gives her a look. "The movie hasn't even started." He points out.

"Exactly!" Beca says a little loudly and is rewarded with shushing noises from behind her. "Why are there so many commercials?" She says, softer this time.

The trailers have never bothered him, so Jesse just shrugs. "I'm sure it'll start soon."

After what seems to Beca like five hours of coming attractions, the movie itself finally begins and she feels pretty much like she always does whenever she's forced to sit through a musical. Like she's suffering some sort of cruel and unusual punishment. At least there are no cheesy dance numbers to go along with the singing, but the fact that every single word is sung pretty much negates any positive effects. Beca once again finds herself watching Jesse out of the corner of her eye and, once again, his attention is focused on the screen. He looks like he's witnessing the Second Coming or something and Beca has the suspicion that he would have been just as happy seeing the movie on his own. It was probably on his to-do list.

Beca taps him on the shoulder and Jesse looks away from the screen reluctantly, leaning in closer. "If this is a movie about France, why do all the people have British accents?" She questions. Jesse hopes she doesn't notice the way that he shivers when her breath tickles his skin.

Jesse shrugs, even though he has to admit that's a valid point. "Just…watch." He says instead, turning his attention back toward the screen.

Beca tries to pay attention, she honestly does. She even has to admit that a few of the songs aren't so bad. But she quickly find herself paying more attention to the popcorn and the expressions on Jesse's face instead of what's going on in the movie. Somewhere around the time when Jean Valjean rescues the young Cosette from her horrible foster family, Beca shifts closer to Jesse, resting her head against his shoulder. He adjusts his position so that his arm is around her and she's snuggled quite comfortably against him. So who can blame her if she does happen to fall asleep, lulled by the sounds of the brewing French Revolution.

When Beca opens her eyes once more, she's surprised to find herself still in the theatre with the movie still playing. She felt like she'd been asleep for hours, but clearly the musical has the power to outlast even her naps. Beca rubs at her eyes, glancing at the screen and then over at Jesse.

"Are you…_crying_?" Beca questions, raising her eyebrows. Jesse quickly rubs at his eyes, but the damage is done. "You totally are."

"It's sad, okay." Jesse points out defensively. "I think it would have moved even your robot heart if you hadn't been sleeping."

Beca shrugs, picking up the popcorn bucket once more. "Probably not."

Despite Beca's nap, the movie still trucks along like she hadn't missed any time at all. She does get a little more interested when the actual fighting begins, but that's over quickly and it's back to singing and depression.

When the movie is finally over, Beca practically jumps out of her seat, handing the empty popcorn bucket over to Jesse. "Thank God, I've had to pee for like four hours."

Jesse rolls his eyes. "It wasn't four hours long." He points out.

"It felt like it." Beca says, hurrying out of the theatre and ducking into the ladies' room. When she comes back out, she announces, "I'm starving. Let's grab food."

"You just ate like an entire thing of popcorn." Jesse points out, holding up the empty bucket for proof. "Are you really hungry?"

"That was boredom munching." Beca informs him. "Now I need real food."

"So I feel like it's safe to assume that you didn't enjoy the movie." Jesse remarks as they walk out of the theatre. It's dark now and the streets are bathed in the hazy orange glow of the streetlights. Most of the storefronts are dark but the nearby presence of the college means that they won't have any trouble finding somewhere to eat because there's always somewhere open, even late into the night so that the dedicated studiers or partiers can find food.

Beca shrugs. "I mean, it wasn't _so_ bad." Jesse gives her a suspicious look. "It would have been better if there wasn't a happy ending."

Jesse stops walking and stares at her. "A happy ending? Seriously? Did you even watch the movie at all? Like everyone died. Like everyone."

"Yeah, but there was a wedding at the end and everyone finally got what they deserved and I don't know it just seemed a little out of place to me." Beca shrugs once again, trying to put her thoughts into words. "It didn't seem like the type of movie that should have a happy ending."

Jesse is looking at her with an incredulous expression and something else Beca can't entirely put her finger on but she's not sure that she wants to know. It's a sort of expression that she's never seen on his face before, except for the time when she'd shown up at his dorm room to apologize for yelling at him and he'd looked at her like she wasn't even speaking English.

"So you don't think that after all of that, after everything all the characters went through that they didn't deserve a happy ending?" Jesse finally questions and Beca can't help but have the suspicion that he's not saying what he really wants to.

"I…no. I'm not saying that. I'm just saying that sometimes in life there aren't happy endings. Even though you go through a whole bunch of crap and bad things happen to you, you don't always get a happy ending. You're not guaranteed one or anything." Beca replies. "That's why movies are stupid."

Jesse purses his lips. "First of all, movies aren't stupid. There's nothing wrong with there being a happy ending. Because you're right, sometimes life is horrible and bad things happen to you and I get that, Beca, and I know that you feel like life has been pretty shitty for you so far but that doesn't mean that you have to become on those cynical people who'd rather be angry than try and move on and have a happy ending. Because I do believe that there are happy endings, even after things are bad for a while. And I'm sorry if you don't but I'm not going to let you make me feel like I'm an idiot for looking at the bright side of things."

Without waiting for her to respond, Jesse turns and starts back in the direction that they came, leaving Beca staring after him with her mouth slightly open in surprise. "No…Jesse…that's not…" But her words are falling on deaf ears. She watches as his disappears, trying to figure out how things escalated so quickly.

Beca thinks about trying to go after him, to explain herself or maybe try to wrap her head around the sudden turn in conversation, but she's never been the type to chase after anyone and, to be honest, she's not even sure she can explain. And who says that she has to explain herself anyway? Just because her point of view doesn't match his doesn't mean that she's wrong, after all. Beca spends the majority of the ride back to campus convincing herself of this fact and by the time she lets herself into her empty dorm room, she's almost managed to convince herself that she's completely in the right. After all, she was just expressing her opinion. She doesn't have to consider life all sunshine and rainbows and people singing as they ride off into the sunset. So there.

Beca tosses her purse onto the bed and flops down in her desk chair, turning on her computer, sliding on her headphones and trying to lose herself in her music. Normally, it's her perfect escape. Normally, she can sit here for hours and just listen to the music speak to her. She's aware that this sounds incredibly corny but it's the best way she can think to describe it. It's like she's hearing more than just the lyrics of the song, listening to the very backbone of each song and there's nothing like realizing how two songs that sound like they have nothing in common fit together like puzzle pieces.

But even thinking about that makes her think of Jesse. Because their differences should keep them from fitting together and yet she's never felt happier than when she's with him. Sure he might get on her nerves sometimes but she's sure that she's no picnic either, especially thanks to her tendency to blurt out the first thing that comes to her mind. Which Beca is pretty sure is what's to blame for their little blow-up outside the movie theatre.

Try as she might, Beca can't keep herself from thinking about Jesse. She turns up the music on her headphones until it's almost unbearable but it still doesn't quiet her thoughts. Beca keeps replaying their conversation over and over in her head, becoming one of those girls who pays attention to inflection and what certain word choices might mean. She can't decide if Jesse's storm out was just for dramatic effect or if it was his way of letting her know that he's done trying to make this thing with her work. That idea unsettles her more than she thought possible. She'd thought that she was lost after leaving the Bellas but that's nothing compared to how she's feeling now. The thought of not seeing Jesse anymore, of not talking to him or hearing him laugh or kissing him or watching movies with him or listening to him talk and…this is not okay.

Beca grabs her keys and heads out of her dorm again, starting across campus. She has no idea how late it is or how much time has passed since she and Jesse parted ways but it hardly seems important at the moment. The campus is eerie so late at night and if her classmates are spending their time partying, they're doing it inside tonight. Beca walks the familiar path to Jesse's apartment, trying to convince herself that if she's hurrying it's just because she's eager to talk to him, not because she's convinced herself that she's being followed and is about to be kidnapped and killed.

It's only when she gets to his building that she realizes her mistake. Only residences have the keys that allow them access into the dorms and she's either always been with Jesse or managed to follow in behind someone whenever she's come to visit. The building looks pretty silent, making the possibility of getting someone else to let her in pretty slim. Beca figures that calling Jesse to come down and let her in would pretty much ruin the dramatics of showing up unannounced at his place.

Beca paces in front of the door, trying to figure out her next move. She could just wait until morning, but she feels like if she doesn't say what she has to say now then it's going to be too late. She _could _just call, that would make things a lot easier.

Someone reaches out to grab her shoulder from behind and Beca can't help but scream, whirling around so fast that she nearly trips over her own feet and goes crashing to the ground. "Whoa, sorry." Jesse quickly holds up his hands, looking guilty. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

Beca lets out a slow breath, pressing her hand to her chest, feeling the rabbit beating of her heart. "Jesus. You didn't think that grabbing me when I was completely oblivious to your presence would scare me?" Jesse gives her a guilty sort of half smile. "You're lucky I didn't have my official rape whistle."

But Jesse doesn't seem like he's in the joking mood. "What are you doing here Beca?"

"What am I doing here?" Beca raises an eyebrow. "What do you think? I came to talk to you." She's only seen him this serious a few times before, cementing her fears that things might be more permanent than she'd like.

"I feel like we've done enough talking." Jesse informs her, but he doesn't sound angry, just tired, as though he finds the whole thing exhausting. "I heard you pretty loud and clear."

Beca shakes her head. "No, you didn't. I didn't…I still have more to say." She forces her voice to sound assertive and strong, not worried and hesitant, which is how she feels inside.

Jesse looks like he's going to argue some more, but he just pulls out his key card and swipes them in, holding the door for her like a true gentlemen. They don't say anything as they walk up the three flights of stairs to his floor. Beca can hear the noises of life around them: the muffled sounds of TVs and playlists drifting under the doors, mingling with the occasional laugh.

"Where's Benji?" Beca questions when Jesse's room proves to be devoid of human presence.

"Studying." Jesse replies. "He wants to make the Dean's List."

Beca lets out a low whistle. "Wow, over-achiever." She mutters and Jesse gives her a look. "In a good way." She assures him. "I mean that's…that's…awesome." She trails off, looking at Jesse as though she expects him to initiate the conversation that she insisted on having.

Unfortunately Jesse doesn't offer her any help. He just gives her a _come on_ type gesture and Beca does not like this closed-off version of Jesse. He's always reminded her of a puppy: friendly, eager to please, tail always wagging. This is not her Jesse.

"Look…I…" Beca pauses, trying to collect her thoughts. "I…I'm not going to say that I was wrong because I believe some of what I said. I'm not just going to stop being cynical and bitchy over night. I think it's part of who I am. But I…I don't want to be like this all the time. So maybe if you can be patient with me…we can reach some sort of middle ground."

Beca feels like an idiot. She's never been the type to just start pouring her feelings out. It's harder than it looks. She turns away from Jesse, pacing the length of his room in hopes that not looking at him will make it easier to speak. She misses the hint of a smile that threatens to appear on his face.

"And I don't think you're an idiot because you like movies or happy endings or puppies or whatever. It's part of what I really like about you." Beca gives all of her focus to her hands as she paces and it makes it easier to pretend like she's talking to thin air. "And I like spending time with you and getting coffee and I even kind of like it when you walk me to class and you're waiting when my class is over, even though it's kind of a cheesy. And when I thought about not getting to do any of that stuff with you again, it pretty much sucked and I really don't want to lose you because of something stupid I said and-"

Beca's monologue is interrupted when Jesse comes to stand in front of her, interrupting her pacing by putting his hands on her shoulders. Beca looks up at him, surprised.

"You're going to wear a hole in the floor." Jesse remarks, a smirk on his face and Beca feels a sense of relief start to bubble in her chest. "Beca, I don't want you to change who you are. Your snark is part of what I like about you too. And I do like you. A lot. Like a lot a lot. And I think we have something special and I don't want to just throw that away because you're too pessimistic to believe in a good thing."

Beca sighs. "I…it's hard. Sometimes. I just think about my parents and it seems impossible to believe that anything can last forever."

"I'm not promising forever here." Jesse points out. "But I think we could give it a good shot. If you believe in happy endings."

Beca laughs, covering her face with her hands as she shakes her head. "Oh my God. This is so cheesy." She looks up at him. "I cannot believe you just said that."

Jesse slides his hands down her back, pulling her closer to him. "Don't even pretend like you don't like it." He leans in to kiss her.

Beca reaches up to slip her hand around the curve of his neck. "Yeah, maybe just a little bit."

Jesse stops, his lips just brushing hers. "Just a little?" He arches an eyebrow, moving to pull away.

But Beca won't let him. "Okay, maybe a lot." She pulls him in for the kiss, trying to keep herself from smiling against his lips but figuring that she's not doing a very good job. "I would have really missed this too." She admits when they separate.

Jesse smiles. "Oh yeah, me too." He pulls her to him again, kissing her. "I'm not too crazy about the fighting, but I could get used to the making-up."

Beca feels like she couldn't have said it better herself.

* * *

"You had to know this day was coming." Jesse informs Beca with mock seriousness. "When you put me in charge of the dates, you know what we're going to end up doing." He holds up a DVD, grinning like a pleased little boy.

Beca tries not to make a face. "Yes, I have accepted my inevitable Movie Education." She assures him. "I was even thinking about _Inception _when I should have been taking my biology final. But…seriously…" She looks at the movie in his hand. "Seriously? Isn't that a kids' movie?"

Jesse looks offended. "A good movie has not age limits." He assures her. "You're going to love it. It's like the ultimate happy ending movie." He gestures for her to sit down on the bed and he grabs his laptop, popping in the movie and snuggling up beside her.

Beca rests her head against his shoulder and his arm slides around her, his hand resting on her hip. This is definitely her favorite part about her Movie Education. She picks up the DVD case, studying the picture on the front. "Look, maybe this is going to surprise you, but I was never the Disney Princess type."

Jesse gives her a shocked look. "What? _You_? Say it isn't so!" Beca swats him with the DVD. "Just trust me, okay? You'll like this one."

The opening scene for _Tangled_ starts, and Beca pretty much stops her protesting after the first ten minutes. Jesse's pretty sure that she hasn't been this quiet during any of the movies he's forced her to watch over the past few weeks, not even the _Kill Bill_ movies, which he thought would cater to her apparently violent tastes. He finds himself watching her out of the corner of his eye more than he watches the actual movie, which is definitely a first for him. Sure, he might have seen this movie a few (dozen) times but he normally hates to miss a scene. Now, watching Beca watch the movie is much more entertaining.

By the end of it, there are definitely tears. "Oh my God, are you crying?" Jesse teases, putting his laptop aside. "You are totally crying." He tickles her in the side.

Beca wiggles away from him, quickly wiping at her eyes. "What? No…I'm not…" She looks at him. "It was sad okay? But good sad. I'm sure _you've_ cried at that movie before." She points out.

Jesse neither confirms nor denies that statement. "So you didn't think she should have remained locked in the tower forever? You didn't think Flynn should have died? You…you're actually okay with a happy ending?"

Beca rolls her eyes at him. "You want me to say it? Fine: happy endings are…not that bad. Cheesy. But not bad."

Jesse looks pretty pleased with himself. "I told you that you were going to like it. I am the master of planning our dates."

Beca just shakes her head. "Well, what's next then Date Master?" She teases.

He shrugs. "Maybe food? We can walk to the Commons." Jesse suggests, naming the campus buffet style restaurant.

Beca thinks for a minute and then shakes her head. "I think I have a better idea." And she pulls him in for a kiss.


End file.
